Variable valve for exhaust pipe

ABSTRACT

A variable valve for an exhaust pipe that includes a housing disposed within an exhaust line and a partition that is fixed within the housing and divides the inside of the housing into a first exhaust gas channel and a second exhaust gas channel. A gate is disposed within the housing to selectively open and close the second exhaust gas channel and a leaf spring connects the partition with the gate and opens and closes the gate using pressure of an exhaust gas.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0142062 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 7, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a variable valve for an exhaust pipe. More particularly, the present invention relates to a variable valve for an exhaust pipe that reduces exhaust noise and improves the output of an engine by opening and closing the channel of an exhaust pipe based on the output of the engine of a vehicle.

(b) Description of the Related Art

In general, exhaust gases produced by the engine of vehicles are exhausted by an exhaust system and the exhaust system includes an exhaust line that guides exhaust gases to the rear of a vehicle and a muffler disposed within the exhaust line and that reduces exhaust noise.

The muffler may be equipped with a variable valve that opens and closes an exhaust gas channel and reduces noise by increasing negative pressure by blocking the flow of exhaust gases in an idle section or a low-speed section of an engine. In addition the muffler reduces negative pressure and noise of exhaust gases and improves the output of an engine by allowing the flow of exhaust gases in middle- and high-speed sections of the engine. The variable valve is generally mounted on a baffle within the muffler and includes a housing combined with the baffler and a gate hinged to the housing via a coil spring.

However, the position where variable valves of the related art is installed is limited the muffler, thus causing difficulty in effectively reducing noise generated at various positions on the exhaust line. Further, the variable valves have complicated parts, and abnormal noise and touching noise are generated by the coil spring and the operation of the gate, respectively, in the operation of the variable valves.

The above information disclosed in this section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a variable valve for an exhaust gas capable of effectively reduce noise generated at various positions on an exhaust line due to a lack of installation position limitations. The variable valve for an exhaust pipe may be installed without a limitation at a specific position with the maximum pulsating pressure wave in an exhaust line, and may minimize abnormal noise using a leaf spring that has a simplified structure.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a variable valve for an exhaust pipe, which may include: a housing disposed within an exhaust line; a partition fixed within the housing and divides the inside of the housing into a first exhaust gas channel and a second exhaust gas channel; a gate disposed within the housing to selectively open and close the second exhaust gas channel; and a leaf spring that connects the partition with the gate and opens and closes the gate based on the pressure of an exhaust gas.

The leaf spring may include a first fastening portion fastened to the partition; a second fastening portion fastened to the gate; and an elastic portion that connects the first and second fastening portions at an angle and elastically deformed by pressure of an exhaust gas. The gate may include a body that has a semicircular plate shape corresponding to the inner circumferential surface of the second exhaust gas channel within the housing; and an assembly portion formed by bending an upper end of the body to a side and coupled to the leaf spring.

Fixing apertures may be formed at the housing, positioning apertures to be fitted in the fixing apertures may be formed at the partition, and the positioning protrusions may be fitted in the fixing apertures to combine the housing and the partition. The partition and the leaf spring may be fastened by bolts. In addition, a reinforcing plate may be fastened to the leaf spring by bolts and nuts and the gate and the leaf spring may be fastened by bolts. A reinforcing plate may be fastened to the leaf spring by bolts and nuts.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may install a variable valve within an exhaust pipe without a limitation in position, and thus it may be possible to effectively reduce noise at various positions in an exhaust line. Since the leaf spring may have a simplified structure, it may be installed at a specific position with the maximum pulsating pressure wave of an exhaust pipe, to minimize generation of abnormal noise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary view of a variable valve for an exhaust pipe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary detailed view of the variable valve for an exhaust pipe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are exemplary views showing the operation status of the variable valve for an exhaust pipe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS

1: Variable valve for exhaust pipe 10: Housing 11, 13: Fixing aperture 20: Partition 21, 23: Positioning protrusion 30: Gate 31: Body 33: Assembly portion 40: Leaf spring 41: First fastening portion 43: Second fastening portion 45: Elastic portion 47: Reinforcing plate 50: Exhaust pipe 61: Bolt 63: Nut 65: Fitting aperture L1, L2: First and second exhaust gas channel

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, combustion, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The sizes and thicknesses of the configurations shown in the drawings are provided merely for the convenience of description, such that the present invention is not limited to those shown in the drawings and the thicknesses are exaggerated to make some parts and regions clear. However, parts that are not related to the description are not drawn to make exemplary embodiments of the present invention clear.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary view of a variable valve for an exhaust pipe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 2 is an exemplary detailed view of the variable valve for an exhaust pipe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, a variable valve 1 for an exhaust pipe may include a housing 10 disposed within an exhaust line, a partition 20 fixed within the housing 10 and that forms a first exhaust gas channel L1 and a second exhaust gas channel L2 together with the housing 10, a gate 30 that opens and closes the second exhaust gas channel L2 in the housing 10, and a leaf spring 40 that connects the partition 20 with the gate 30 and provides a restoring force to the gate 30.

Fixing apertures 11 and 13 may be longitudinally formed at the housing 10 and the housing 10 may be installed within an exhaust pipe 50 via the fixing apertures 11 and 13. In addition, positioning protrusions 21 and 23 to be fitted in the fixing apertures 11 and 13 of the housing 10 may be formed at the partition 20 and the positioning protrusions 21 and 23 may be fitted and bonded into the fixing apertures 11 and 13. The gate 30 may have a plate-shaped body 31 having a semicircular shape that corresponds to the inner circumferential surface of the second exhaust gas channel L2 of the housing and an assembly portion 33 formed by bending the upper end of the body 31 to a side to be coupled to the leaf spring 40.

The leaf spring 40 may have a first fastening portion 41 fastened to the partition 20, a second fastening portion 43 fastened to the gate 30, and an elastic portion 45 that connects the first and second fastening portions 41 and 43 at an angle and elastically deforming. The first fastening portion 41 may be fastened to the partition 20 via bolts 61 and nuts 63, with a reinforcing plate 47 disposed under the first fastening portion 41. Furthermore, fitting apertures 65 that correspond to each other may be formed at the first fastening portion 41, the reinforcing plate 47, and the partition 20 and the bolts 61 may be inserted therein. The second fastening portion 43 may be fastened to the gate 30 and the assembly portion 33 via the bolts 61 and nuts 63, with the reinforcing plate 47 disposed on the second fastening portion 43. The fitting apertures 65 that correspond to each other may be formed at the second fastening portion 43, the reinforcing plate 47, and the gate 30 and the bolts 61 may be inserted therein.

The elastic portion 45 may be deformed with the gate 30 fastened to the second fastening portion 43 based on a negative force of an exhaust gas and may provide an elastic reinforcing force to the gate 30.

Hereinafter, the operation of the variable valve 1 for an exhaust gas having the configuration described above is described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing the operation status of a variable valve for an exhaust pipe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in a substantially low speed section of an engine. Referring to FIG. 3, the variable valve 1 may be disposed at one side of the exhaust pipe and may variably open and close the first exhaust gas channel L1 and the second exhaust gas channel L2 that are open. In other words, the gate 30 may increase a negative pressure by blocking the second exhaust gas channel L2 in the exhaust pipe 50 in a low speed section of an engine, thereby reducing noise.

The first exhaust gas channel L1 above the partition 20 may be a passageway through which an exhaust gas passes during a low speed section and the area through which an exhaust gas flows is decreased or increased by adjusting the position of the partition 20. Tuning against noise in the low speed section may be possible by increasing or decreasing the amount of exhaust gas that passes through the channel.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing the operation status of a variable valve for an exhaust pipe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in middle and high speed sections of an engine. Referring to FIG. 4, the gate 30 may open the second exhaust gas channel L2 in the exhaust gas pipe 50 using the pressure of an exhaust gas in middle and high speed sections of an engine, to reduce negative pressure and noise of an exhaust gas and improve the output of the engine.

In accordance with the negative pressure of the exhaust gas, the elastic portion 45 may deform and the gate 30 may open the second exhaust gas channel L2 in the housing 10. The gate 30 may open the second exhaust gas channel L2 by the deformation of the elastic portion 45 of the leaf spring 40, and when the negative force of the exhaust gas decreases, the second exhaust gas channel may return to an initial position by the restoring force of the deformed elastic portion 45 and the exhaust gas decreased in pressure may be discharged through the first exhaust gas channel L1.

The variable valve 1 may be installed without a limitation in positioning (e.g., the valve is not limited to a specific position), thus making it possible to effectively reduce noise at various positions on the exhaust pipe 50. In particular, is the variable valve 1 may be installed at a specific position with the maximum pulsating pressure wave of the exhaust pipe 50, to reduce exhaust noise.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A variable valve for an exhaust pipe, comprising: a housing disposed within an exhaust line; a partition fixed within the housing divides the inside of the housing into a first exhaust gas channel and a second exhaust gas channel; a gate disposed within the housing to selectively open and close the second exhaust gas channel; and a leaf spring that connects the partition with the gate and opens and closes the gate using pressure of an exhaust gas.
 2. The variable valve of claim 1, wherein the variable value is disposed at one side of the exhaust pipe and variably opens and closes the first exhaust gas channel and the second exhaust gas channel that are open.
 3. The variable valve of claim 1, wherein the leaf spring includes: a first fastening portion fastened to the partition; a second fastening portion fastened to the gate; and an elastic portion that connects the first and second fastening portions at an angle and is elastically deformed by pressure of the exhaust gas.
 4. The variable valve of claim 3, wherein the elastic portion deforms and the gate opens the second exhaust gas channel inside the housing.
 5. The variable valve of claim 1, wherein the gate includes: a body having a semicircular plate shape that corresponds to the inner circumferential surface of the second exhaust gas channel within the housing; and an assembly portion formed by bending upper end of the body to one side and coupled to the leaf spring.
 6. The variable valve of claim 1, further comprising: fixing apertures formed at the housing; and positioning apertures formed at the partition to be fitted in the fixing apertures, wherein the positioning protrusions are fitted in the fixing apertures, to combine the housing and the partition.
 7. The variable valve of claim 1, wherein the partition and the leaf spring are fastened by bolts.
 8. The variable valve of claim 7, wherein a reinforcing plate is fastened to the leaf spring by bolts and nuts.
 9. The variable valve of claim 1, wherein the gate and the leaf spring are fastened by bolts.
 10. The variable valve of claim 9, wherein a reinforcing plate is fastened to the leaf spring by bolts and nuts. 